The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-29
NOT WILLING TO UNITE.
THE sYDOD REJECTS TIL HOUSE
OF BISHOPS OVERTUREs.

ops A6JIeT al llupluShS OOIAhd Jill
cation-Doctrinal Issues in the Way
of a Union of the Episcopalian and
Lutheran Communions-The Synod
Trying to Settle the Theological
Seminary Question.
The United Synod spent the last hours of
its morning session and the greater part of
its afternoon session yesterday in a heated
and tangled debate over the overtures from
the House of Bishops of the Protestant
Episcopal Church upon the subject OF
Christian unity, which it rejected with the
determination that it would not advise any
union upon the grounds named in the com
munication.
The declaration from the House of Bishops
was laid before the synod the day it con-
vened, and was referred to a committee
consisting of Maj. H. A. Meetze of Tennes-
see; Rev. j. H. Wilson, of South Carolina, and
Rev. L. C. NJ Miller, of South
west Virginia. The committee submit
ted its report yesterday morning, and It's
consideration involved the synod in de
bate upon doctrinal points which lasted
opposition on the part of the synod to en-
pertaining any overtures whatever looking
10 a union of the two communions upon
any other basis than a strict conformity to
Lutheran doctrine and practice.
THE BISHOPS DECLARATION.
The declaration is the outcome of a move
ment started by the Protestant
Episcopal church in 1853 to heal
the divisions of Christendom, and to
more fully develop the Catholic idea of the
Christian church. A commission of Bishops
was empowered to confer with other Chris
tian bodies who were disposed to unite upon
a common basis. The commission, in con-
formity with the terms of its appointment,
formally set forth and advocated certain
suggestions and recommendations intended
to accomplish the end sought for. In 1880
the bishops of the American church, moved
by appeals from Christians in foreign
countries, who were struggling to free
themselves from the usurpations of the
Bishop of Rome, set forth declaration to
the effect that in virtue of the solidarity of
the Catholic Episcopate, it was the duty of
the episcopates of all national churches hold
ing the Primitive Faith and Order, and of
their Bishops to protect in the holding of
that faith and the recovering of that Order,
those who have been wrongfully deprived
of it, and thus without demanding a
rigid uniformity or the sacrifice of their
national traditions of worship and disci-
pline, or of their rightful autonomy.
PLAN OF THE UNION.
In order to reunite the sundered parts of
Christendom, and for the protection and
encouragement of those who have with
drawn from Roman obedience the Bishops
of the Protestant Episcopal church set
forth:
That their earnest desire is that the Sa-
viour's prayer, THAT we all may be one"
may, in its deepest and truest sense be
speedily fulfilled.
That they believe that all who have been
duly baptized with water in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, are members of the holy Catholic
church.
That in all things of human ordering or
human choice relating to modes of worship
and discipline, or to traditional customs,
the church is ready in the spirit of love and
humility to forego all preferences of her
own.
That the church does not seek to absorb
other communions, but rather cooperating
with them on the basis of common Faith
and Order, to discountenance schisms, to
heal the wounds Of the body of Christ, and
to promote the Charity which is the chief Of
Christian graces and the visible manifesto
ton of Christ to the world.
THE BASIS PROPOSED.
The declaration affirrns that Christian
unity can be restored only by the return of
all Christian communions to the principles
of unity exemplified by the undivided cath
Ole church, during the first ages of its ex-
istence, holding those principles to be the
substantial deposit of Christian Faith aud
Order committed by Christ and His apostles
to the church unto the end of the world,
and therefore incapable of being compro-
missed or surrendered.
The declaration set forth as the inherent
parts of this sacred deposit, and therefore
as essential to the restoration of unity among
the divided branches of Christendom, the
following:
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testament as the revealed word of God
The Nicene Greed as the sufficient state
ment Of the Christian faith.
The two sacraments, Baptism and the
Supper of the Lord, ministered with unfail-
ing use of Christ's words of institution, and
of the elements ordained by Him.
The historic Episcopate locally adapted
to the methods of its administration to the
varying needs of the nations and peoples of
God into the unity of his church
The House of Bishops expressed its grief
over the divisions which aefiict the
Christian church, and declared its desire
and readiness, as soon as there. shall be any
authorized response to its declaration, to en-
ter into conference with all Christian bodies
seeking the restoration Of the organic unity
Of the church.
THE COMMITTEES REPORT.
The committee in its repo t expressed
pleasure in having received tn declaration
and the letter of the Secretary of the con-
vention, accompanying it,..and begged to
put on record the assurance that the
Lutheran church is praying with renewed
and increasing earnestness that some
measure may be adopted mos speedily for
the reunion of the sundered parts of Christ
endom and that with its well known and
well defined principles of opposition
TO anything like schisms, and with
a feryenT desire that all who profess the
name of Christ might, in accordance with
His prayer, "be one." The declaration con-
tanning such expressions, and coming from
so large and influential body of Christians,
the committee said, is a most cheering sign
that in the not very far distant future both
communions may see eye to eye, having
one faith, one Lord and baptism.
THE BASIS OF UNION
The committee agreed fully with the
Bishops in their affirmation that Christian
unity can be restored only by the return of
all Christians to the principles of unity ex
emplified by the Undivided Catholic church
during the past ages of her existence, hold
ing these principles to be the substantial
de 1osit of Christian faith and order com
mitted by Christ and His apostles to the
church, and, therefore, incapable of icing
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